MOVE Peeps, Get out tha' Way! - Coke MOVE

I am VERY tired. It's been a really long week with me working overtime and I want nothing more than to just crawl right into bed, but I really want to get back into posting consistently, so here's a quickie.

Coke Creations is back again with another intangibly themed soda, this time we have "Move." A "transformation flavored" soda. What does that mean? Your guess is as good as mine! 

I'm on a Tea-Kick Lately (Master Kong Tropical Iced Tea)

Master Kong Tropical Fruit Iced Tea - Hung Vuong

Colorful packaging always wins me over, and this features every color in the rainbow PLUS a bunch of appealing fruity imagery. Other than it being labeled "Iced tea" and having tons of fruit on it, I know absolutely nothing about this product but...

Technology is really amazing you guys. I have a Pixel phone, so I took a photo and ran it through Google lens, and not only did it translate some of the bottle for me instantly, but it reverse image searched and found out that this is Master Kong brand tropical fruit iced tea. (And you can scan the code on the cap for...something. Prizes I presume?) We're living in the future.

 Now that I know what it is, let's see how it tastes. 

Two Tantalizingly Tangy Tropical Taffys! - Pineapple & Guava Laffy Taffy

Pineapple and Guava Laffy Taffy - Dollar Tree

First those Laff Bites last week, and now these? 

Turns out I've been doing this for long enough that I have finally forgotten what items I've reviewed and what I haven't. In my mind I thought I had already written up a bunch of flavors of Laffy Taffy, so I searched for them on my own blog and ended up finding only one post, the fall themed Pumpkin Donut and Apple Crisp flavors they released in 2016. (And last week's Laff Bites of course.)

That's it. How is that possible? I know for a fact I have eaten a ton of Laffy Taffy in my lifetime, maybe not so much in the last 3-years, but still! This is something I should remedy, and thankfully Dollar Tree had this fun tropical peg-bag at the ready. 

Oh, and when can peanuts laugh? 

This Candy is Older Than My Dog, Let's Eat It!

Lilikoi and Pineapple Hi-Chew - Gift...from 2016

Like many people, to kick off the new year I started deep cleaning my house and what did I find? These Hi-Chew (from 2015). Five to six years ago Marvo from The Impulsive Buy sent me these exclusive Hi-Chew from Hawaii, and I totally lost them. Deep in a box of things from my old bedroom, there they were. I hated the idea of throwing them out, and does candy ever -really- go bad? I mean, it's not like they got wet or anything...

So today I will be tempting fate, and dental work, by trying these two Hi-Chew flavors that officially expired in October of 2016. Wish me luck! 

Swim with the Fishes - Tropical Mini Swedish Fish

 Swedish Fish Mini Tropical - Dollar Tree

No cool story or anything behind this buy. I just like Swedish Fish. I grew up eating classic red, and so far I have had nothing but good things to say about their new and innovative products. I've tried their candy canes, Trident chewing gum, Rita's water ice flavor, and more recently their Heads and Tails. I purposefully avoided known-duds, like the Swedish Fish Oreos, and overall I have been happy with the quality of their new releases.  

So when I spotted this at Dollar Tree, I figured, why not?

Inside we have four different colors/flavors, and my only pet peeve so far is that two of them are super generic.  

Strap in, It's Time For Nihilistic Mystery Gummy Worm Reviews

Sour Brite Mystery Nightcrawlers - Walmart? (I think...) 

What can I say? I just couldn't resist another mystery product. It's the J.B. Fletcher in me. These are the very first "mystery" product Trolli has ever produced, and to further fuel my curiosity, they've released the following statement: "To add to the intrigue, we do not plan to release any flavor details, so we know Trolli fans will enjoy guessing the flavor combinations in our unique Mystery Night Crawlers."

So there is no way to confirm if any of my guesses are even correct. Then again, there's a chance that they flavored these worms to taste like something incredibly specific, but didn't execute it well. 

Let's take a look at my favorite example, Oreo. For every winner, like Cotton Candy and Kettle Corn, but there are also misses, like Cookie Dough, which was still delicious, but definitely tasted more like coffee than a cookie. 

Now that solving flavor mysteries has lost all it's meaning...let's eat worms!

Lime, Coconut, and Sunscreen?

Project 7 Coconut Lime Gum - Target

What can I say? Project 7 and I are in an unhealthy relationship. They keep burning me with bad flavors, and yet, I keep coming back for more. Since my blogging hiatus I've bought 5 new flavors. I just keep hoping that things will be different...and maybe they will be this time?

The packaging is sleek, the company tries to do some good in the world, and yet...the flavors rarely delivers on their yummy promises. (Then again I'm a blogger who doesn't blog, so maybe I shouldn't be throwing too many stones from my glass house.) 

This Flavor of Oreo Doesn't Pump It's Own Gas - Piña Colada Oreo Thins

Piña Colada Oreo Thins - Target $2.99

That's right, this flavor suggestion came from a teacher who resides in, you guessed it, New Jersey! Who else is from America's lovable-armpit? Me! So that's it, this is the winner. Everyone else can go home now. 

I kid, but of the three flavors announced, this one did seem the most palatable. Kettle Corn had the potential to be the buttered popcorn bean of cookies, and Cherry Cola could have ended up a medicinal nightmare, but piña colada? It's pretty hard to get that wrong, so it was the safest bet of all three flavors. However, playing it safe doesn't make for a guaranteed win, so let's see if these Oreo Thins are a slice of paradise, or if they taste like the floor of a Rupert Holmes concert.

Tropical Sour Patch Kids - Walmart

 Tropical Sour Patch Kids - Walmart

Look out guys, they're are some new kids on the block! Sour Patch Kids came out with a new mix. Will it be just as good as the original version? Or is it a flop? We shall see!

Phyzix Tropical Energy Drink - Phyzix

Phyzix Tropical Energy Drink - Phyzix (Gift)

Print Consultant and Graphic designer during the day, etsy shop runner, food blogger, amateur podcaster, novice YouTuber, needy-pomeranian-mommy, and freelance artist by night. My typical state of being is a zen-like zombie-mode where I get shit done and take names all while wearing industrial under-eye concealer and tricking everyone around me into thinking I'm still a human being.

All of this zombie-ness is fueled by nothing more than copious amounts of candy and water from my giant moonshine-sized mason jar. (It's huge so I don't have to refill it very often. It's all about function, not hipster aesthetic.) A lot of my friends and family rely on coffee and caffeine to get them through the day, and back in college I was right there with them with my daily iced espresso that was the size of a wiener dog, but I gave that up when my stomach issues began.

Now I'm a caffeine light weight.

I rarely drink energy drinks and coffee because the taurine and other energy packed chemical goodies tear my stomach apart and aren't worth the temporary boost they give me, but the people over at Phyzix contacted me with this healthier juice-based alternative and I thought I might give it a try to see if I can get all the pep without needing Pepto.

Hot Tamales Tropical Heat - Dollar Tree

Hot Tamales Tropical Heat - Dollar Tree

Sorry I missed a few review days this week. Last night I gave a presentation to the Gloucester County Art League about all the stuff I create and do. On top of running this food blog I also run an art blog, a few online shops, I freelance from home (mostly graphic design), I sew, sculpt polymer clay charms and trinkets, and I sell all my work at conventions. All of that, plus 9-5 graphic design and printing job. Sometimes I get stretched pretty thin with all that I do, but even when I'm sleep deprived and running on sugar, I wouldn't change it for the world. 

For today's review I have something that has been sitting in my stash since last December, these Tropical Heat Hot Tamales! Let's see if these candies live up ti their name, or if their spiciness is just a marketing gimmick.

Coco-Loco-Lili-Nut - 7-Eleven

Coco-Loco-Lili-Nut - 7-Eleven

Apparently Jones Sodas are kind of back? They made a deal with 7-Eleven to release 5 exclusive flavors of soda that will only be available in their stores. I was absolutely in love with Jones Soda as a teen, so I'm thrilled to check these out! Jones is one of those brands I've loved since day one, but it's never fully clicked with the general population. I don't get it. What's not to love? The indie customer-supplied-photo-labels, the wacky names, and the variety of flavors were amazing! I used to treat myself to a glass bottle of Jone's soda when I was eating at Panera bread, and Pei Wei, but sadly, I guess they didn't sell well enough, or their contracts expired, because it became harder and harder to find. For a while you could buy them at Old Navy, which was a totally bizarre place to get glass bottled soda, and now you can get cans (which are less fun than bottles) at Target, but the flavor variety is really limited. 

For today's #tbt post, why not grab a bottle of this new Jones soda, kick back, and pretend I'm back in high school? (Only now I have less acne, and more anxiety. Yay adulting!)  

Banana Hi-Chew - Gift

Banana Hi-Chew - Gift

Back when Candyology 101 celebrated it's 1-year anniversary, Marvo, who's our producer and the awesome guy behind The Impulsive Buy, sent us a little plaque and some candy to celebrate! Our little goody bags included sweets that were exclusive to Hawaii, and a few tropical flavors of Hi-Chew, which included banana! In case you haven't noticed, I freaking love banana! Now, if you look at my watermark you can tell that these photos are old, and the reason I took so long to post this review is because...I ate the entire package before writing anything up. What can I say? I have no willpower when it comes to banana candies! Thankfully my beloved Asian Food Market just so happened to get these in stock (finally) so now I have a fresh package here to give you all the low-down on this delicious, chewy, addicting goodness.

Lifesavers Gummies Paradise Mix - Walmart

Lifesavers Gummies Paradise Mix - Walmart

Ignore the "new" tag on these gummies, they've been out for nearly 2 years. (Come on Lifesavers, stop milking it!) Even though they're far from new, I've never had them so I thought I'd give them a shot. Lifesavers gummies are usually pretty good quality, so I have high hopes for these.  

Bolthouse Farms, Tropical Goodness - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Bolthouse Farms, Tropical Goodness - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Even though I love Fall, it's just going to have to wait a minute while I have my end-of-summer-crisis. I worked all summer! I barely went outside! I only went swimming in my own pool twice! It's can't be fall yet! On top of all that, I still have a decent amount of summery products to review, so let's all pretend that it isn't September this whole week, does that sound good? 

Okay, with that out of the way, I'm going to kick back and drink some of this Tropical Goodness and forget that it's technically September right now.

Limited Edition Minion Tic-Tacs - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Limited Edition Minion Tic-Tacs - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Minion candy makes sense. We've had Minion Peeps, Minion Mike & Ike's, and now Minion Tic-Tacs, but a Minion Swiffer duster? That's where I draw the line. Seriously, this is getting out of hand. Why is there a cleaning product tie-in with this movie? I brought this up to Cybele during our last Candyology101 recording and she thought it might be a way to trick kids into cleaning, maybe that's their angle, but I don't understand who at marketing was like, "Yep, that's brilliant! Pack 'em up and ship 'em out!"

I may not be behind every Minion product that's available, but these Tic-Tacs are something special.